The top five questions you should ask when doing a college tour
It’s college touring season yet again! Having worked at universities and schools for over half of my career, I love this time of the year. It’s filled with new energy and a fresh start. It can also be filled with anxiety, especially when trying to make such a massive decision like where to apply for college. When touring with a teen that has an ADHD or a LD diagnosis? That anxiety can ramp up even higher!
While your kid may or may not want to click into the support networks offered on campus, these questions are a helpful guide to see what is even available. Then, if your child does go to this school, you also are aware of the resources, and can help remind and guide them towards these if they switch paths and decide that they do need more support. If your child does want to connect with these services right away, even better.
In many ways during this journey, you are serving as a mentor and a guide. You often will need to scaffold your kids' executive functioning, and that means having information for their particular campus that they are going to. Here are the top three questions I wish people would ask when touring to see if a university is a good fit for their child:
1. Can I talk to someone at disability services?
If you aren’t comfortable asking this to admissions or the student who is giving the tour, go to disability services directly and ask their front office. Explain that you don’t have a student here yet, but that you would like to get a general sense of the support offered for students. When you talk with them, ask questions and get a sense of how they seem to be to work with.
2. What kinds of support is available to students with disabilities?
This is a more general question that can give you a sense of what supports there are on campus. If it’s answered with a “Well, there is the disability services office….” and nothing else? They might only be doing the bare minimum (or the campus is really small, hard to tell). If they can list off student groups, offices, and speak to the general vibe on campus? Excellent.
3. What is the graduation and retention rate for students with disabilities?
This is a big one, that they may or may not have the answer to. Every university has data on their retention and graduation rates, and if they don’t have the answer now, they may be able to get it. Now, remember, this rate will have a few factors: a) in college, students have to self-report their LD or ADHD diagnosis, so they may be undercounting their students with disabilities, b) the graduation rate overall is not as high as you may think, and c) the graduation rate for students with disabilities is even lower, so make sure you compare this across campuses, not in isolation.
4. What is the culture of self-advocacy like on campus?
This is a more nuanced question, but honestly one that most people don’t get, so their reaction will be telling. In this question, you are trying to get a sense of what professor attitudes may be like towards students who self-advocate (I can tell you, it’s a mixed bag depending on the campus), community support (student groups, peer mentoring), and any official training towards self-advocacy (less likely, but possible!).
5. What does your campus do to support students with LD/ADHD diagnoses in their job search?
Again, this is a question where the reaction is half the answer. If this (or any of these questions) are scoffed away, not a great sign. But if they think about it, or refer to someone else, or have a hypothesis? All good things. Even better, if they have an answer themselves! The things you are looking to hear about in this type of question are alumni support networks, specific support in place for managing the logistics of job searching (this can be overwhelming for kids with LD/ADHD), and internship/job opportunities. I know this question seems to be putting the cart before the horse, but in the long run, that’s what college is ultimately there to do.
These questions will not only give you a sense of what kind of questions to ask, but it will also give you an overall vibe if you watch how they answer the questions. This can sometimes give you even more information!
For more help, I’ve got a free Top 5 High School to College Transition tips, a full transition checklist, and more guides are coming soon - drop a comment if there’s a particular spot you want me to address!
Touring colleges can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. It’s an emotional journey, for sure, but also a logistical one, filled with many small and big steps along the way. You are in a transition, too! You are moving from advocate to guide, all while helping your teen move into the role of advocating for themselves, and having in-depth knowledge about resources available to them is part of this role. You, and your teen, have got this.
Disclaimer (Important!)
This blog post provides general educational information and is not intended to be a substitute for individualized assessment, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified mental health or educational professional. Always consult with your own healthcare provider or educational specialist for questions regarding your specific circumstances or your child's individual needs. Reading this post does not establish a psychologist-client relationship.